Writers at Work: Sam Lipsyte

Author Sam Lipsyte presents the February talk in the Library’s Writers at Work series on Thursday, February 19, at 7 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

The 2008-09 Writers at Work series features writers who will discuss their own work as well as the art of teaching the craft.

New York magazine once dubbed Sam Lipsyte “one of the ten funniest New Yorkers you’ve never heard of” but since the release of his 2005 novel, Home Land, he’s become one of the city’s favorite sons. The book follows the exploits of Lewis Miner, a/k/a Teabag, a former high school stoner who now writes overly candid letters to his alumni newsletter.

The New Yorker called Home Land “both hilarious and noble” while The New York Times named it as a notable book for 2005 and crowned its hero as the “high priest of defects.”

Lipsyte is also the author of a novel, The Subject Steve, and the story collection of Venus Drive. His work has appeared in Open City, the New York Times Book Review, Slate, The Quarterly, Mother Jones, Nerve, Spin, and the Minus Times.

Lipsyte is originally from New Jersey, but he currently lives in Manhattan and teaches fiction at Columbia University. He recently won a Guggenheim Fellowship.

The discussion will be hosted by Clancy Martin, an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Missouri—Kansas City.

Lipsyte’s books will be available for sale by Rainy Day Books, and the author will sign copies purchased during the event.

Writers at Work is organized by Kansas City novelist Whitney Terrell and co-sponsored by Chris Davis and the English Department at UMKC.

A 6:30 p.m. reception precedes the event. Click here or call 816.701.3407 to RSVP. Free parking is available in the Library District Parking Garage at 10th and Baltimore.